The differences between wild and domestic baby rats explained
Our rescued baby wild rats continue to develop mentally and physically. As you can see in the video, they do seem to have some differences in behaviour, which I think is due to a greater startle reaction and greater anxiety.
Several times in the video, you can see that the babies are conflicted between wanting to approach me, and wanting to flee any sudden movements. If I am patient and non-threatening, their desire to be with me wins out.
Feeling nervous is unpleasant, so rats prefer to avoid those situations (just as with people who have phobias.) Normally, these babies would prefer to avoid contact with people, but these rats were raised by me and they feel strongly drawn to me, hence the conflict they are feeling.
Some babies seem to be naturally more bold and trusting than others, probably because they have a weaker startle reflex, either because they don’t produce as more adrenaline or neurotransmitters involved in anxiety, or they possess fewer receptors (remember, it is possible to treat phobias in people using drugs, and mice and rats were the original test subjects!)
Domestication occurred when we selected and breed those rats which are naturally more calm.
But, although these rats may be thought of as paranoid (by domestic standards), this neurosis would help them survive in wild, where everything really is trying to kill them.
As pets, they simply require more patience and understanding, just as a person would with the same condition. And, through desensitization by gently and gradually exposing them to “scary” situations, we can teach them to overcome their fearfulness, just as a phyciatrist would help a person with this condition.
Update: after breeding Rattus rattus for many generations, we now have tame, domesticated Roof rats available for adoption!
Do you want pet rats like the ones in the video? We have cute and friendly rats available for free adoption by responsible pet owners.
Here are their original blog posts:
